Pitless well construction



June 9, 1964 J. G. BAKER 3,136,362

PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.JOHN GORDON BAKER ATTORNEY June 9, 1964 .1. cs. BAKER 3,135,362

PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.JOHN GORDON BAKER BY WM ATTOR NEY June 9, 1964 J. G. BAKER 3,136,362

PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.JOHN GORDON BAKER BY W4 )hm ATTORNEY June 9, 1964 .1. e. BAKER 3,136,362

PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION Filed May 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INV ENTOR.

/a/m 60/404 Baker 8 a /9. #M

United States Patent 3,136,362 PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION John GordonBaker, Evansville, Wis. Filed May 14, 1959, Ser. No. 813,226 Claims.(Cl. 166-85) This invention relates to pitless well construction andparticularly to removable apparatus for providing a sealed connectionbetween a liquid-carrying drop pipe within a well casing and a deliverypipe outside the casing and means for maintaining such sealedconnection.

The well casing, generally tubular in form extends nearly to or abovethe ground level with a water discharge connection below the frost lineburied permanently. Pursant to my invention the well water coming up thedrop pipe within the well casing is conducted through the casing wall toa horizontal discharge pipe by means of an adapter having a sealed jointpermitting simple replaceable removal of the drop pipe and otherattached water system components within the well casing from above forservicing. A ring of yieldable material confined in an annular spacedefined by the mating parts of the sealed joint is usedas a seal. Afitting attached to the drop pipe, designated herein as the drop pipefitting is one mating part of the sealed joint, and a fitting attachedto or forming part of the casing, designated herein as a casing fittingis the other mating part of the sealed joint.

As used herein, the term adapter designates apparatus for conductingwell water through a Well casing wall and permitting simple replaceableremoval of a drop pipe and other attached water system components withinthe well casing.

A primary object of this invention is to attain leak free sealing of theadapter joint by using accurately machined and aligned surfaces ofrevolution for the mating and sealing surfaces of the drop pipe fittingand the casing fitting and by rigidly fixing the drop pipe fitting withrespect to the casing to prevent motion in the sealed joint due to pumpvibration or water hammer.

A second object is to provide such an adapter suitable for a four-inchinside diameter casing and one and onequarter inch inside diameter forboth drop pipe and delivery pipe without substantial pressure drop ofthe water flowing through the adapter.

A third object is to facilitate well screen installation and otheroperations within the well casing by locating the sealing surface of thecasing fitting radially beyond the inner wall of the well casing toavoid damage to the sealing surface from contact with well tools, droppipe and attached components and to provide a full unobstructed openingwithin the casing when the drop pipe and attached components areremoved.

A further object is to provide a drop pipe fitting adapted for easyassembly with thecasing fitting and for rigid fixing with respect to thewell casing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drop pipe fitting whichis adapted to support the drop pipe and attached components without aconnection to the top of the well, and to hold down the casing cap so asto provide a water-tight joint with a plane end of the casing withoutthreads, welds, friction or set screw attachment.

An additional object is to provide an actuator for such an adapter whichproduces the necessary movement of the drop pipe fitting for assemblyand disassembly of the sealed joint from corresponding vertical manualmovements near the top of the casing, and which facilitatesassembly ofthe sealed joint by limiting the drop pipe fitting movements to thoserequired for assembly, by providing for quick and easy assembly attemptsand by making proper assembly readily discernible without depending onvisual inspection down in the well.

A still further object is to provide such an actuator, which afterassembly, coacts with the drop pipe fitting, and, if necessary, thecasing cap to rigidly fix the drop pipe fitting with respect to thecasing despite pump vibration and water hammer and without the necessityof actuator attachment to the upper end of the well casing.

And another object of my invention is to provide an actuator which isoperated without a wrench by an inexpensive manual control rod, which,to insure its presence when needed, can only be detached when theactuator is removed from the well casing.

The invention possesses other objects and advantageous features as willbecome apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which I FIGURE 1 is afragmentary vertical sectional View of apparatus embodying one form ofthe invention and incorporating the novel features of the invention, thesection being taken along a vertical center line of the well casing.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken along the line BB ofFIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line AA ofFIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the well casingunsectioned'and a transverse hole bored in the casing for installationof the casing fitting. The casing fitting parts are shown exploded.

FIGURE 5 is an elevation view of an alternative form of the casingfitting suitable for welding on the casing.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical section view of an alternative formof control rod and easing cap where the section is taken through thecenterline of the casing.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the alternative form ofcap and control taken along the line CC of FIGURE 6.

FIGURES 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are fragmentary vertical partial sectionsshowing progressive steps in the assembly.

FIGURE 12 shows an exploded view of the casing cap parts.

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary elevation view of the assembled unit.

FIGURE 14 is the top view of the finished installation with the fillcompleted. Only the casing cap appears.

FIGURE 15 is a side view of the actuator showing the centerline of theslot, the upper slot angle, and the maximum slot'angle.

FIGURE 16 is a top view of the actuator within the well casing showingthe angle of vertical corners in relation to a centerline of theactuator.

While the invention is applicable to all types of pumps commonly usedfor pumping water from wells and is susceptible of various modificationsand alternative con-' structions, I have shown in the drawings and willdescribe herein a preferred embodiment as applied to the so-calledsubmersible type pump. It is to be understood that I do not intend tolimit the invention by such disclosure, but aim to cover allmodifications, alternative constructions and uses falling within thespirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the tubular well casing 10 extends downward intothe ground below the frost line 11 and upward above the ground level 12.A drop pipe 13 supports a submersible pump 14 (not shown) and conductsthe well water up from the pump 14 into the drop pipe fitting 15. Thewater continues through drop pipe fitting 15 and the casing fitting 16and into the delivery.

a t. pipe 17 tightly screwed into casing fitting 16. .The round neck 18of drop pipe fitting extends into the cylindrical recess 19 within thecasing fitting 16. A rubber ring seal 20 within an annular groove 21surrounding the neck 18 fits tightly against the smooth cylindricalsurfaces of the groove 21 and the recess 19 to form a pressure tightseal between the drop pipe fitting 15 and the casing fitting 16. Theouter surface of the neck 18, including the annular groove 21, is asurface of revolution, the axis of which will be designated herein asthe neck axis. The cylindrical recess 19 is a surface of revolution, theaxis of which will be designated herein as the recess axis. The neckaxis and the recess axis coincide. There axes also intersect and areperpendicular to the axis of the casing 10.

The chamfer 22 around the neck 18 and the chamfer 23 around the recess19 facilitate entry of neck 18 into recess 19 during assembly. Thechamfer 23 also prevents damage to the ring seal 20 as it enters therecess 19 during assembly. 7 The cylindrical surface 24 of the casingfitting 16 has substantially the same radius as that of the outside ofthe casing 10. The cylindrical neck 25 of the casing fitting 16 has aslightly smaller diameter than the bored hole 26 in the casing 10.

Referring now'to FIGURE 2, the casing fitting 16 is provided with theears 27 and 27A which are slotted to receive the ends of the U bolt 28.The U bolt 28, the nuts 29 and 29A and the washers 30 and 30A hold thecasing fitting 16 tightly against the outer wall of the casing 10. I

Referring to FIGURE 1, the casing fitting 16 is pro vided with a groove31, surrounding the neck 25, shaped to squeeze the rubber ring seal 32against the outside diameterof the casing 10 to form a fiuidtight sealbetween the casing fitting 16 and the casing 10 to prevent contaminationentering the well from the adjacent ground. An alternative form ofeasing fitting 16W is shown in FIGURE 5, prior to welding. Since theweld is made fluid tight, the ring seal is eliminated.

The drop pipe fitting 15 extends upward to the boss 52 which is tappedto receive the lift out pipe 53. The lift out pipe 53 extends verticallyupward to within a few inches of the top of the casing 10. A fitting 54is threaded on to the upper end of the lift out pipe 53 to facilitate(a) vertically positioning and orienting of the attached componentsinside the casing 10, and (b) fastening down the casing cap.

Referring to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, the fitting 54 has the large eye 55 forattachment of a hoist when the bolt 56 is removed and for clearance forthe lower end of the bolt 56 when-the latter is in place. The upper end57 of the fitting 54 is tapped to receive the bolt 56 and countersunk tofacilitate the insertion of bolt 56.

The cap shown generally at 58 consists ofa washer 63, the cap cover 59and the cap ring 60 with a gasket 61 between cap cover 59 and cap ring60 and a second gasket 62 between 60 and the upper end of the casing 10.This cap assembly is clamped down by means of the bolt 56 which isscrewed into the fitting 54. Due to the eccentricity of the bolt pull onthe lift out pipe 53, the fitting 54 is pressed against the inner wallof the well casing at 64. That this is so may be shown by consideringthe lift out pipe 53 as a beam fixed at its lower end to the casing 10by its threaded connection to the drop pipe fitting 15 and the lattersfirm contact with the casing 16 at the bosses '33 and 34. Such a beam,subject to the moment produced by the eccentric pull of the bolt 56,requires a lateral reaction at 64 because lateral deflection of theupper end of the lift out pipe 53 is prevented by the contact betweenthe fitting 54 and thecasing 10 at 64.

The cap ring 60 is tapped at 65 to receive the conduit fitting 66 forthe conduit 67 that protects the pump motor 4 cables 68. The cables 68enter the well casing 10 through the cap ring 66 and the pocket 69 ofthe cap cover 59. A detachable coupling for cables 68 can be used ifnecessary or desirable.

Referring to FIGURES l and 2 the channel shaped actuator and relatedparts, including the control rod 46:

(a) convert vertical manual movements of the upper end 47 of control rod46 into horizontal movements of the drop pipe fitting 15 and limit thedegrees of freedom of the drop pipe fitting 15 in order to facilitatethe insertion of the neck 18 into the recess 19;

(b) after assembly aid in fixing the drop pipe fitting 15 with respectto the casing 10 and when necessary;

(c) convert upward manual movement of the control rod 46 into ahorizontal movement of drop pipe fit ting 15 withdrawing neck 18 fromrecess 19.

The control rod 46 is bent about a 90 angle at its upper end 47 tofacilitate its vertical movement. The lower end of the rod 46 has fourclosely spaced substan tially, right angle co-planar bends, the lowestand highest of these bends being 48 and 50 respectively. The actuator 35is punched to make a strong coupling between rod 46 and actuator 35. Thebend 48 at the lower end of the 7 rod 46 retains the actuator rodconnection when the rod 46 and actuator 35 are assembled outside thewell casing and prevents removal of the rod 46 When inside of the well.Force from the rod 46 is transmitted to the actuator 35 through the hole49 punched in the actuator. The bend 50 and the notch 51 also punched inthe actuator in combination with the bend 48 and the hole 49 locate rod46 in a substantially vertical plane through the casing axis.

The pin 36 extends through the holes 37 and 37A in the drop pipe fitting15 and through the slots 38 and 38A in the actuator 35. The spacer 39fits over the pin 36 and into the slot 38 of the actuator. The squarehead 40 of the pin 36 fits similarly in the other slot 38A of theactuator 35. A square shape is used for the spacer 39 and the head 40 inorder to sustain the large loads between the pin 36 and the slots 38 and38A resulting (a) from forcing the drop pipe fitting 15 against theinner wall of the casing 10 at the bosses 33 and 34, and (b) from Waterhammer. The pin 36, the spacer 39 and drop pipe fitting 15 are heldtogether by the cotter pin 41 inserted into the hole 42 in the pin 36.

The upper portions of the slots 38 and 38A down to the level at 45 arestraight. The angle of either slot in the upper straight portion, i.e.,above the point 45 is designated herein as the upper slot angle. slotangle" shown is about three degrees with the axis of casing 10. Belowthe level at 45 each slot center line for'the slots 38 and 38A is acircular arc tangent to the center line of the straight upper portion ofthe slot. A relatively large radius arc is used to provide a smoothpassage for the square spacer 39 and the square head 40. The maximumslot angle with respect to the casing center line is about 30. Thisangle occurs at the lower ends of the slots 38 and 38A.

After insertion of the drop pipe fitting 15 and attached water systemcomponents into the well casing 10 as shown in FIGURE 9, the elevationand angular orientation of the drop pipe fitting 15 about the axis ofthe casing 10 are determined by the corresponding elevation andorientation of the fitting 54. Under the same condition, the neck axisis held approximately horizontal by the drop pipe 13 and the lift outpipe 53. Also under the same condition, theactuator 35 and the relativeelevation of the actuator 35 with respect to the drop pipe fitting 15determine the lateral position of the drop pipe fitting 15.

Considering the latter determination in detail, the inner wall of thewell casing 10, except for small clearances, circumscribes the outerextremities of the actuator 35, which are the four parallel corners 44,44A, 44B and 44C, and therefore locates-the actuator 35 itself The upperlaterally and orients it so that the corners 44, 44A, 44B and 44C arevertical. The actuator 35 is orientated about the axis of the'casing bythe pin 36, the spacer 39, the head 40, and slots 38 and 38A whichconnect the actuator 35 to the drop pipe fitting as described above. Thelateral location of the drop pipe fitting 15 in the direction of theaxis of the pin 36 with respect to the actuator 35 and therefore withrespect to the axis of the casing 10, is determined by the contactsbetween the ribs 43 and 43A and the inner walls of the actuator suchthat the neck axis intersects the axis of the casing 10. The laterallocation of the drop pipe fitting 15 in the direction of the neck axiswith respect to the actuator 35, and therefore with respect to the axisof the casing 10, is determined by the lateral location of the centerlines of the slots 38 and 38A at the elevation of the pin 36.

It follows that with the arrangement shown inFIG- URE 9, the drop pipefitting 15 has only the three degrees of freedom necessary for assemblywith the casing fitting 16; The first of these degreesof freedom is inelevation enabling, by the adjustment of the elevation of the fitting54, the equalization of the elevations of the neck axis and the recessaxis. The second degree of freedom is in rotation about the axis of thecasing) enabling, by the rotation of the fitting 54, the orientation ofthe neck 18 toward the'recess 19 bringing the neck axis and the recessaxis into coincidence. The third degree of freedom is in lateralposition enabling the insertion of the neck 18 into the recess 19 bylowering of the actuator 35, without change in elevation of drop pipefitting 15, with a downward push on the end 47 of the control rod 46.This movement starts with the actuator 35 at its uppermost position withrespect to the drop pipe fitting 15, when the pin 36 and related partsare at the lower end of the slots 38 and 38A. With the rod 46 and theactuator 35 moving downward at a given rate, the neck 18 first movesinto the recess 19 at a comparatively rapid rate on account of therelative large angle of the slots 38 and 38A with respect to the axis ofthe casing 10 below'the level at 45. After the level at 45 of theactuator 35 reaches the pin 36 and the straight upper portions of theslots move over 36, the inward movement of the neck 18 is comparativelyslow because of the small upper slot angle. When the drop pipe fitting15 reaches the inner wall of the Well casing 10 at the bosses 33 and 34,a moderate downward force on the actuator 35 produces large forcesbetween bosses 33 and 34 and the casing 10 on account of the small upperslot angle. These forces directly prevent lateral movement of the droppipe fitting 15 in the vertical plane of the recess axis, and, by thefriction they produce, prevent rotation of the drop pipe fitting 15about the recess axis. Vertical and horizontal movement of the neck axisis prevented by the radial fit between the neck 18 and the recess 19.Rotation of the drop pipe fitting 15 about any vertical axis isprevented by the radial fit between the neck 18 and the recess 19 andthe connection to the actuator 35 by the pin 36, the spacer 39, the head40, and the slot slots 38 and 38A, as well as the contacts between theribs 43 and 43A and the inner walls of the actuator The use of asufficiently small upper slot angle also makes it practical to use thefriction resisting upward movement of the actuator 35 to hold actuator35 and therefore the drop pipe fitting 15 in place. The tests indicated:that the greater the vibration of the drop pipe fitting 15, due to thepump unbalance for instance, the smaller the upper slot angle requiredfor the corresponding friction to be adequate, the required anglesvarying from about 2 degrees for severe vibration to about 15 degreeswhere the vibration is very mild. An actuator of less than 3 degreesupper slot angle becomes so long that where the vibration is too severeto rely on friction alone with a 3 degree upper slot angle, I prefer torestain '6 the upward movement of the actuator 35 with the modified formof cap cover 59A as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. In order to do this, anelongated nut 77 is added to the upper end of an altered actuatorcontrol rod 46A which is threaded to suit the nut as shown in FIGURES 6and 7. The lower end of the control rod 46A and the coupling to theactuator 35 are the same as for the control rod 46, as previouslydescribed in connection with FIG- URE 1. The upper end of the nut 77 isfitted with the cross pin 78 to facilitate both raising and lowering ofthe actuator 35 and rotation of 77 on control rod 46A. The nut 77 isadjusted on the rod 46A so that when the actuator 35 is in place in theassembled condition the upper end of the nut 77 will just clear theupper surface 79 of the pocket 80 within the cap cover 59A as shown inFIGURE 6. Under these conditions the cap cover 59A prevents upwardmovementsof the actuator 35 by the di rect restraint of 79 on the upperend of 77. Rotation of the nut 77 with the cross pin 78 is alsoprevented by the elongated shape of the pocket 80 as'shown in FIGURE 7.

It is to be noted that there is no attachment of the actuator to the capor the well casing.

With the upward movement of the control rod 46A prevented the upper slotangle can be substantially larger than 3 degrees even with severevibration because friction is not depended on to prevent upward movementof the actuator 35 once the cap cover 59A is in place. -On the otherhand friction is depended on to hold the actuator 35 in place before thecap cover 59A is in place. In other words, too large an upper slotangle, even with no vibration or water pressure present would result inthe actuator 35 returning upward and relieving the contact force at thebosses 33 and 34 after the control rod 46A is pushed downward in theassembly process.

With no downward force on the control rod 46 or the control rod 46A andno vibration, any upper slot angle that is small enough to prevent theactuator 35 from returning upward after being pushed downward during theassembly process is designated herein as a no return angle.

To determine the maximum possible no return angle, consider the forceson the actuator 35 in the fully assembled condition, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, with no downward forceexerted on the control rod 46 or the control rod 46A except for theweight of said control rod, and no vibration. Referring to FIGS. 15 and16, cc is the centerline of the slot 38, ml is the axis of the casing10, a is the upper slot angle, 5 is the maximum slot angle, and B is thehorizontal resultant of the reaction forces B and B at the contactsbetween the corners 44 and 44A of the actuator 35 and the inner wall ofthe casing 10. Referring more particularly to FIG. 16," is the anglebetween each of the forces B and B and the centerline lab of theactuator 35. A is the resultant of the normal forces between the leftsides of the slots 38 and 38A and the spacer 39 and the head 40,respectively.

The forces A and B are produced either by the wedging action of theactuator 35 when it is forced downward with the control rod 46 or thecontrol rod 46A orbythe water pressure in the water passage or by both.Thevertical and horizontal components of A are A and A respectively. Ais the sum of the contact forces on the bosses 33 and 34 and the waterpressure force, if any, tending to push the drop pipe fitting 15 out ofthe casing fitting 16, A is the resultant of the friction forces betweenthe left sides of the slots 38 and 38A and the spacer 39 and the head40, respectively. The vertical and horizontal components of A are A andA respectively. B, is the vertical component of the resultant of thefriction forces produced by B and B D is the downward force on theactuator 35 due to the weights of both the actuator 35 and the controlrod 46 or the control rod 46A. Equilibrium 7 of the actuator 35 in thevertical and horizontal directions requires, respectively, that i'l'fv'l' v B h+ fh The forces A and D are considered negligible, however,because of their small size in comparison with the other forcesmentioned. The above equations may therefore be rewritten to read:

t+ fv v I n Under the condition that upward movement of the actuator 35impends Equation gives the tangent of the angle a at which the upwardmovement of the actuator 35 impends. It

may be concluded that for any angle a less than that shown by Equation10, the frictional forces A and B; are adequate to hold the actuator 35in its downward position with no weight or other downward force on theactuator 35 and the control rod 46 or the control rod 46A. Conversely,for an angle a greater than that shown by Equation 10, the frictionalforces Af and B alone are insufficient to hold the actuator down. Theangle a determined by Equation 10 is thus the maximum angle at.

which the frictional forces will prevent the actuator 35 from returningupward after being forced down. a in Equation 10 is therefore themaximum no return angle. In a case where 7 equals 45 degrees which isabout as large as is desirable in the present invention, and thecoeflicient of friction ,u equals 0.15, which is a normal coefiicient offriction for the engaged metal parts of the present invention, it can befound from Equation 10 that the maximum no return angle is approximatelydegrees. In a case where 'y is less than 45 degrees or the coefiicientof friction ,u is less than 0.15 as might result from the presence ofoil, the maximum no return angle a as determined by Equation 10 is alsosmaller.

The use of an upper slot angle smaller than the maximum no return anglethrough adding length to the actuator 35 increases the allowabletolerance in the adjustment of the nut 77 for a given allowable loss inthe contact force at the bosses 33 and 34.

Installation and Assembly Procedure The adapter and cap are installed inthe following manner:

(1) With the well casing 10 in place an excavation is made of sufficientdepth below the frost line and of sulficient diameter to work on thecasing-delivery pipe connection as shown in FIGURE 4. a

(2) The horizontal axis hole 26 is bored in the casing below the frostline 11, the diameter of the hole being that suited to the outsidediameter of the neck of the casing fitting 16 as shown in FIGURE 1 (or16W as shown in FIGURE 5).

(3) Where the U bolt type of casing fitting 16 is used, the ring seal 32is placed in the groove 31 of 16, as shown in FIGURE 1. The neck 25 ofcasing fitting 16 is then inserted into the bored hole 26 in the casing119. The U bolt 23, the washers 3t) and 36A and the nuts 29 and 29A arenext put in place and the latter tightened as shown in FIGURE 2.

(3a) Where the welded casing fitting 16W is used, the neck 25 isinserted in the casing hole 26 and the casing fitting 16W welded to thecasing all around the outer circumference of 16W to form a fluid tightjoint as shown in FIGURE 10.

(4) The pump 14 (not shown) is attached to the lower end of the droppipe 13 in a manner well known in the art.

(5) The pump, drop pipe 13 and pumpcable 68 are lowered into the welluntil the upper end of the drop pipe 13 approaches the upper end of thewell casing 111. At this point the drop pipe 13 is restrained fromfurther descent by attaching a pipe clamp (not shown) in a manner wellknown in the art. During the lowering process the motor cable 68 istaped to the drop pipe 13 at spaced intervals as is common practice inthe installation of submersible pumps.

(6) The actuator assembled on the drop pipe fitting 15, as shown inFIGURES 1 and 2, is pulled upward with respect to 15 until the spacer 39and the head 40 of the pin 36 slide to the lower end of the slots 38 and38A respectively. The drop pipe fitting 15 thus exposed is screwedtightly onto the upper end of the drop pipe 13.

(7) The motor cable 68 is now passed through the channel between a wallof the actuator 35 and the drop pipe fitting 15 as shown in FIGURES 1and 2. If desired, the cable 68 is taped to 15 (tape not shown).

(8) The lift out pipe 53, the fitting 54 and the drop pipe fitting 15are now screwed tightly together ending with the tapping in the upperend 57 of the fitting 54 on the opposite side of the center line of thelift out pipe 53 from that of the neck 18.

' 9. The rubber ring seal 20 is next installed in the annular groove 21.

(10) A hoist is attached to the fitting 54 making use of the openingtherethrough, and the pipe clamp (not shown) supporting the drop pipe isremoved.

(11) With the actuator rod 46 substantially horizontal as shown inFIGURE 8, the lower bend 48 of the rod 46 is inserted into the hole 49of the actuator 35 and the end 37 of the rod swung upright to completethe coupling of 46 and 35. The rod 46 is now used to hold the actuator35 in the uppermostposition while the assembly attached to the hoist islowered into the well until it is determined by rough measurement of thedepth of the fitting 54 that the axis of the neck 18 is at about thesame level as the axis of the recess 19, as shown in FIGURE 11. At thesame time the suspended assembly is oriented so that the angle of thefitting 54, with respect to the delivery pipe 17, as viewed from above,indicates that the neck axis and the recess axis are approximatelycoincident.

(12) A downward push is now applied by hand to the upper end 47 of theactuator rod 46. If the neck axis is nearly coincident with the recessaxis, neck 18 will be moved into recess 19 until the drop pipe fitting15 comes in contact with the inner wall of the casing 10 at the bosses33 and 34; after which the upper end 47 of the actuator rod 46 is tappeddownward with the handle of a hammer to fix 15 tightly against the innerwall of casing 11). If the neck axis and the recess 19, neck 18 will notenter the recess 19, the rod 46 will be arrested in its downwardmovement. However, repeated assembly tries with small changes inelevationand orientation enable the operator to quickly complete theassembly without the necessity of accurate measurement or observationdown in the well. Complete assembly is positively discerned by notingthe elevation change of the upper end 47 of the actuator rod 46.

(12a) If restraint on the upward movement of the actuator 35 is to beused on account of the possibility of severe vibration the cap cover59A, the control rod 46A and the nut 77 are used with the same procedureas set forth in paragraph 1 except that the nut 77 is adjusted so thatwhen the actuator 35 and cap 59A are in place the upper end of 77 willjust clear the upper side 79 of the pocket 80 as shown in FIGURE 6.

(13) The cap is assembled with the parts arranged as shown in theexploded portion of FIGURE 12; The bolt 56 is screwed into the fitting54 holding the washer 63, the cap cover 59, the gasket 61, the cap ring60, the gasket 62, all against the upper end of the casing 10.

(14) The conduit fitting 66 on the conduit 67 is installed into thetapped hole 65 of the cap ring 60 in the same way as is common inelectrical conduit assembly.

(15) The excavation is now filled with the fill extending somewhat abovethe surrounding ground level at the well casing as shown in FIGURE 13.

FIGURE 14 shows the completed installation as it appears from above.

Although a preferred embodiment of my invention has been described andillustrated herein, it is to be understood that various modificationsmay be made without departing from the spirit and intended scope of theinvention as set forth in the following claim.

I claim:

1. In a pitless well construction, the combination of:

(a) a substantially tubular well casing having a wall with an aperturetherein spaced below the upper edge of said casing,

(b) a drop pipe within the well casing for conducting water up from thewell,

() a delivery pipe extending outwardly from said wall casingcommunicating with said aperture,

(d) apparatus for continuing the conduction of the water through saidaperture in said casing wall and into said delivery pipe, and forpermitting the upward removal of the drop pipe from the well casing,said apparatus including:

(1) a casing fitting attached to said well casing at the location ofsaid aperture, said casing fitting having a substantially cylindricalmating surface of revolution having a horizontal axis intersecting thelongitudinal axis of said well cas- (2) a drop pipe fitting attached tothe upper end of said drop pipe, said drop pipe fitting having a neckwith a substantially cylindrical mating surface of revolution having ahorizontal axis substantially coincident with said casing fittinghorizontal axis,

(3) said drop pipe fitting mating surface being engaged by said casingfitting mating surface in withdrawable mated relation whereby to supportsaid drop pipe within said well casing and to define an annular space,

(4) a sealing ring of yieldable material located within said annularspace in substantially liquidtight relation to provide a sealed jointbetween said drop pipe fitting and said casing fitting,

(5) connecting means extending horizontally from said drop pipe fittingperpendicular to said horizontal neck axis,

(6) an actautor within said casing, the outer extremities of which arein slidable contact with the inner wall of said casing,

(7) said actuator having a slot therein including a straight upperportion through which said connecting means extends, the centerline ofsaid upper portion of said slot being disposed at an angle to thelongitudinal axis of the casing of not less than about 2 or more thanabout 15 in order to provide an angle of no return for the actuator withsaid centerline extending in a direction such that a downward movementof said actuator produces a lateral movement of said drop pipe fittinginto said casing fitting,

(8) a control rod coupled to said actuator and extending upwardly withinsaid casing for manually displacing said actuator in the verticaldirection,

(9) and means whereby to suspend said drop pipe fitting and said droppipe within said casing during assembly and disassembly.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said slot in said actuatorincludes a lower portion having a centerline disposed at a greater angleto the longitudinal axis of the casing than the centerline of said upperportion of said slot with said lower portion extending in the samedirection as said upper portion.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the mating surface of said casingfitting extends substantially horizontally from beyond the inner surfaceof said casing wall in a direction away from the axis of said casing.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said drop pipe and drop pipefitting are supported within said well casing by the mated engagement ofsaid drop pipe fitting neck within said casing fitting.

5. The combination of claim 1, wherein said drop pipe fitting has a bossabove and a boss below said connecting means, said bosses engaging theinner wall of said casing when said drop pipe fitting is in matingengagement with said casing fitting.

6. The combination of claim 1 in which said actuator has an aperturebelow its upper end to receive the lower portion of said control rod,said lower portion being disposed within said actuator and extendingupwardly from the lowermost end of said control rod to a first bend,beyond which a second portion of said control rod extends laterallythrough said aperture to the outside of said actuator to a second bend,beyond which a third portion of said control rod extends upwardly, saidthird portion substantially abutting the inner surface of said wellcasing when said actuator is positioned within said Well casing, wherebysaid control rod is removable from said actuator when said actuator isoutside of said well casing but is not removable therefrom when saidactuator is in place within said well casing with said third portionsubstantially abutting the inner surface of said well casing.

7. The combination of claim 1 in which said actuator has an aperturebelow its upper end to receive the lower portion of said control rod anda notch spaced above said aperture in substantially vertical alignmenttherewith with its upper open end disposed at the upper end of saidactuator, said lower portion being disposed within said actuator andextending upwardly from the lowermost end of said control rod to a firstbend, beyond which a second portion of said control rod extendslaterally through said aperture to the outside of said actuator to asecond bend, beyond which a third portion of said control rod extendsupwardly to a third bend, beyond which a fourth portion of said controlrod extends laterally through said notch in a direction opposite to theextension of said second portion of said control rod and into saidactuator and then to a fourth bend, beyond which the control rod extendsupwardly, said third portion of said control rod substantially abuttingthe inner surface of said well casing when said actuator is positionedwithin said well casing, whereby said control rod is removable from saidactuator when said actuator is outside of said well casing but is notremovable therefrom when said actuator is in place within said wellcasing, engagement between the opposed walls defining said notch andsaid fourth portion of said control rod serving to maintain said controlrod in its upwardly extending position when said actuator and controlrod are positioned within said well casing.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein means are provided for adjustingthe length of said control rod, and wherein said combination includes acap for the upper end of said casing, said casing adapted for contact onits undersurface by the upper end of said control rod to restrain anaasez provided at the to the top of said Well casing and wherein Y theupper end of said control rod is adapted to substantially abut theundersurface of said cap cover to prevent upward movement of saidcontrol rod when said drop pipe,

fitting is in assembled relation with said casing fitting.

10. The combination of claim 1 wherein a cap cover is provided at thetop of said well casing, said cap having a substantially horizontalundersurface matching the top end of said well casing, a gasket betweensaid horizontal undersurface of said cap cover and said top end of saidwell casing, a tension member extending downwardly from 12 said capcover and into said well casing and engaging said drop pipe fitting tohold said cap cover in place on the top end of said well casing and toexert sealing compres sion on said gasket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,689,611 Martinson Sept. 21, 1954 2,771,955 Carter Nov. 27, 19562,851,106 Dicken Sept. 9, 1958 2,903,067 Hall Sept. 8, 1959 2,949,961Anderson Aug. 23, 1960 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OFCORRECTION Patent No. 3Y1369362 June 9 1964 John Gordon Baker It ishereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patentrequiring correction and that the said Letters Patentshould read ascorrected below.

Column 3 line 14 for "There" read- Thesecolumn 5, line 60 strike out"slot"; column 8 line 45, for "and" read with Signed and sealed this17th day of November 1964 (SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Altesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. IN A PITLESS WELL CONSTRUCTION, THE COMBINATION OF: (A) ASUBSTANTIALLY TUBULAR WELL CASING HAVING A WALL WITH AN APERTURE THEREINSPACED BELOW THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID CASING, (B) A DROP PIPE WITHIN THEWELL CASING FOR CONDUCTING WATER UP FROM THE WELL, (C) A DELIVERY PIPEEXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID WALL CASING COMMUNICATING WITH SAIDAPERTURE, (D) APPARATUS FOR CONTINUING THE CONDUCTION OF THE WATERTHROUGH SAID APERTURE IN SAID CASING WALL AND INTO SAID DELIVERY PIPE,AND FOR PERMITTING THE UPWARD REMOVAL OF THE DROP PIPE FROM THE WELLCASING, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING: (1) A CASING FITTING ATTACHED TO SAIDWELL CASING AT THE LOCATION OF SAID APERTURE, SAID CASING FITTING HAVINGA SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL MATING SURFACE OF REVOLUTION HAVING AHORIZONTAL AXIS INTERSECTING THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID WELL CASING,(2) A DROP PIPE FITTING ATTACHED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID DROP PIPE,SAID DROP PIPE FITTING HAVING A NECK WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICALMATING SURFACE OF REVOLUTION HAVING A HORIZONTAL AXIS SUBSTANTIALLYCOINCIDENT WITH SAID CASING FITTING HORIZONTAL AXIS, (3) SAID DROP PIPEFITTING MATING SURFACE BEING ENGAGED BY SAID CASING FITTING MATINGSURFACE IN WITHDRAWABLE MATED RELATION WHEREBY TO SUPPORT SAID DROP PIPEWITHIN SAID WELL CASING AND TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR SPACE, (4) A SEALINGRING OF YIELDABLE MATERIAL LOCATED WITHIN SAID ANNULAR SPACE INSUBSTANTIALLY LIQUIDTIGHT RELATION TO PROVIDE A SEALED JOINT BETWEENSAID DROP PIPE FITTING AND SAID CASING FITTING, (5) CONNECTING MEANSEXTENDING HORIZONTALLY FROM SAID DROP PIPE FITTING PERPENDICULAR TO SAIDHORIZONTAL NECK AXIS, (6) AN ACTAUTOR WITHIN SAID CASING, THE OUTEREXTREMITIES OF WHICH ARE IN SLIDABLE CONTACT WITH THE INNER WALL OF SAIDCASING. (7) SAID ACTUATOR HAVING A SLOT THEREIN INCLUDING A STRAIGHTUPPER PORTION THROUGH WHICH SAID CONNECTING MEANS EXTENDS, THECENTERLINE OF SAID UPPER PORTION OF SAID SLOT BEING DISPOSED AT AN ANGLETO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CASING OF NOT LESS THAN ABOUT 2* OR MORETHAN ABOUT 15* IN ORDER TO PROVIDE AN ANGLE OF NO RETURN FOR THEACTUATOR WITH SAID CENTERLINE EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION SUCH THAT ADOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID ACTUATOR PRODUCES A LATERAL MOVEMENT OF SAIDDROP PIPE FITTING INTO SAID CASING FITTING, (8) A CONTROL ROD COUPLED TOSAID ACTUATOR AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY WITHIN SAID CASING FOR MANUALLYDISPLACING SAID ACTUATOR IN THE VERTICAL DIRECTION, (9) AND MEANSWHEREBY TO SUSPEND SAID DROP PIPE FITTING AND SAID DROP PIPE WITHIN SAIDCASING DURING ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY.